Vijitha Bandara clinches Milo Junior Open Golf C'ship

by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy sports corr. at Victoria

Sixteen year old caddie from the golf course of Victoria Golf and Country Resort Vijitha Bandara with a gross score of 157 won the Milo Junior Open Championship at the golf competition organised by Victoria Golf and Country Resort and sponsored by Nestle Lanka Limited and worked off for two days at the Victoria golf course at Rajawella off Kandy.

It was an excellent performance by Vijitha Bandara who had the best aggregate score overall in Gold and Silver Divisions with 157 strokes. Vijitha Bandara got 77 on the first day and 80 on the second day to wrap up both the Gold Division and the overall title. He was however given a close fight by 15-year-old Binupa Wijesinghe who aggregated 159 - just two points behind who got 80 on the first day and 79 on the following day.

Caddie Vijitha Bandara may have had a crack on the Nett Division as well if not for the fact that he did not have an official handicap which precluded him from participating in that division. Official handicaps are given only to club members and being a caddie, he did not have a handicap.

In the Gold Division for the Nett segment 16-year-old Sidath Hemachandra from Gateway College, Kandy, came up with a top Nett score of 139 to grab that title. He got 71 on the first day and round off with 68 on the second day despite the fact that he was subjected to two penalty strokes otherwise his score would have been far better.

Twelve-year-old Ladies College student Maleena Awn better known in yachting circles skipped her trials to put up a stupendous performance to win the title for the Best Aggregate Nett Score for the Silver Division with 148 strokes. She got an incredible 62 helped by two birdies on the first day but handicapped without a proper 'driver' on the second day saw 86 nett not a very good score by her first day standards. But she beat the boys to lift this title.

The title for the Best Aggregate Gross score for the Silver Division went to 13-year-old up-and-coming golfer from Holy Family Convent Dhanushi Senadeera coming from an illustrious family of sportsmen and sportswomen from the stock of de Sarams and Chanmugams she got 177 gross 89 on the first day and 88 on the following day.

Ten-year-old Sachin de Silva (son of the famous Usha and Anel de Silva) won a double when he lifted both the Nett and Gross titles in the 18 hole Stableford competition - the Bronze Division for those under-11 years.

Little Sachin de Silva who too comes from the family root of De Sarams and Chanmugams gave a masterly display for a kid. Golf is certainly running in his blood with both his parents Anel and Usha de Silva being top golfers from the Royal Colombo Golf Club.

Sanjay Wettimuny from the famous cricketing family of Wettimuny used his inborn cricketing talent to lift the title for the longest drive which made the ball sail over 275 yards.

The putting competition saw nine year old Lochana Mathew win the frown title while Richard Gunawardena won the Silver Division and the Gold Division was won by that caddie Vijitha Bandara who rounded off an excellent day with many titles.

The scores of the competition: The total gross and nett scores:

Gold Division: (Age 15 to 17 years)

Chamil Wickremesinghe Total Gross 169 and Total Nett 151, Sidath Hemachandra 171 and 139, Sampath Hemachandra 180 and 152, Eranga Alahakoon Total Gross 165, Ashen Amaranayake Total Gross 259, S. Dananajaya Total Gross 221, Suhayb Sangani 180 and 162, B. Vinoth Kumar Total Gross 163, A. Niroshan Total Gross 162, Avinesh Narosh Kumar 174 and 154, Binupa Wijesinghe 159 and 155, H. S. Manoj Total Gross 187, Sanjay Wettimuny 169 and 157, F. Fider Total Gross 258, R. R. A. Damith Total Gross 173, Suresh Kumar Total Gross 193, Vijitha Bandara Total Gross 157, F. S. Senduran Total Gross 175, P. Hemantha Total Gross 199, T. Sivakumar Total Gross 207, S. Anushika Total Gross 239, P. Nissansala Total Gross 251, S. Radhika Total Gross 242, S. Dinesh Total Gross 190, S. Piyal Total Gross 247, S. Saman Total Gross 198. (Only the gross totals of the two days play is indicated in respect of the participants who did not have an official handicap from a golf club).

Silver Division (Age 12 to 14 years)

Carter Simpkins Total Gross 230 and Total Nett 174, Haren Maralanda Total Gross 259, Amrith Fernandopulle 222 and 168, S. Dahanayake Total Gross 276, Chanel Ratnam Total Gross 248, Hasitha Jayawardena 197 and 149, Richard Gunawardena 187 and 171, Sharya Unamboowe 188 and 152, Maleena Awn 212 and 148, Dhanushi Senadeera 177 and 149, Saakya Ukkwatte 195 and 151, B. Kishore Kumar Total Gross 185, Akhil Rao 192 and 160, Shavinda Fonseka 193 and 163.

Awards made at the Milo Junior Open Golf Championship 2005:

Longest Drive: Sanjay Wettimuny.

Putting competition:

Bronze division: Lochana Mathrew.

Silver division: Richard Gunawardena.

Gold division: Vijitha Bandara.

Bronze division: 18 Hole Stableford competition.

Best Aggregate Nett Stableford score: Sachin de Silva.

Best Aggregate Gross Stableford score: Sachin de Silva.

Runner-up: Kelly Rao.

Silver division: 36 holes stroke play:

Best Aggregate Nett Score: Maleen Awn - 148.

Runner-up: Hasitha Jayawardena - 149.

Best Aggregate Gross Score: Dhanushi Senadeera 177.

Runner-up: B. Kishore Kumar - 185.

Gold Division: 36 Hole Stroke play competition.

Best Aggregate Nett Score: Sidath Hemachandra - 139.

Runner-up: Chamil Wickremasinghe - 151.

Best Aggregate Gross Score: Vijitha Bandara - 157.

Runner-up: Binupa Wijesinghe - 159.

Milo Junior Open Championship Trophy awarded to the Best Aggregate Gross in Gold and Silver Divisions: Vijitha Bandara -157.

Mohammed Shafraz, Assistant Brand Manager - Nestle's Lanka Limited distributed the awards, with the Victoria Golf and Country Secretary Steffen de Run acting as the Master of Ceremonies.